Minimum Wage (Lewisham, Deptford)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged (a) 22 years and over,  (b) 18 to 21 years and  (c) under 18 years are receiving the minimum wage in (i) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and (ii) Lewisham borough.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	Earnings data at the parliamentary constituency level is not available.
	However, earnings data is available by Government office region. Although it is not possible to estimate the number of jobs paid exactly at the National Minimum Wage, the DTI estimates that in April 2005 there were 28,000 jobs held by employees aged 16 or over in the London region paid a wage within a 5p range of the National Minimum Wage. This estimate is based on data from the Office of National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2005.

NHS Funding

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his spending plans are for the NHS in the next two years; and what he expects growth in spending on the NHS to be in each year to 2009-10.

Stephen Timms: As published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006, the spending plans for the NHS are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Resources 79,997 87,062 
			 Capital 5,227 6,199 
		
	
	As the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced on 19 July 2005, a second Comprehensive Spending Review, reporting in 2007, will set departmental allocations for the period of 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Pension Contributions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate  (a) the number of people who received and  (b) the amount of income tax relief granted on pension contributions given to (i) basic rate taxpayers and (ii) higher rate taxpayers in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Estimates of the annual cost of tax relief on private pensions are available on Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/7_9_sep05.pdf.
	We estimate that around 55 per cent. of tax relief on pension contributions are received by around 2.5 million higher rate taxpayers. But it is not possible to give a time series for this split by taxpayer band.

Poverty Reduction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to reduce poverty in Coventry South since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 420,000 families in the West Midlands region, and in Coventry South claimant unemployment has fallen by over 30 per cent., youth unemployment has fallen by 63 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 82 per cent.

Smuggled Illegal Meat

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of smuggled illegal meat seized by UK enforcement officials was in  (a) the UK and  (b) Scotland in each of the past five years.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs record seizures of illegal meat on the numbers and overall weight rather than by value. Information on the numbers and overall weight of illegal meat seizures is as follows:
	
		
			   Great Britain  Scotland 
			   Number of seizures  Weight in kilos  Number of seizures  Weight in kilos 
			 2003-04 6,473 69,927 658 1,929 
			 2004-05 10,792 77,087 778 2,1 86 
		
	
	Information on the number of seizures made prior to April 2003 can be found in DEFRA's Annual Review of Controls on Imports of Animal Products last published in July 2005. Seizure statistics for 2005-06 will be included in the next DEFRA Annual Review of Controls on Imports of Animal Products due to be published next month.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each Session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

Gillian Merron: Members will consider a range of possible subjects before introducing their Private Members' Bills.
	Government draftsmen do draft some Bills in advance which are available as one of the options for Members to consider before they make their selection.
	However, Members may make subsequent amendments or revisions to a Government drafted Bill, or use it as the basis for a Private Members' Bill in the future.
	The information requested is therefore not collected.

Rural Transport Services

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural rail  (a) services and  (b) stations have ceased to operate in each year since 1997, broken down by location.

Derek Twigg: No rural rail services have ceased to operate since 1997, only two small stretches of passenger network at Maindee Loop (near Newport) in 2005 and Sheepcote Lane Curve in 2004 (near Clapham Junction) have closed.
	Four stations have ceased to operate since 1997 and 14 stations have been replaced by either: light rail, tram, or a station in a new location.
	The four stations which have ceased to operate are:
	Etruria in 2005;
	Sinfin North, Sinfin Central and Pendleton stations in 1998.

Energy White Paper

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to paragraph 3.41 of the 2003 Energy White Paper, what steps he plans to take to extend the energy efficiency commitment beyond the domestic sector.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA commissioned studies on the possible extension of the domestic energy efficiency commitment (EEC) to those businesses that do not pay the climate change levy.
	The Government concluded that the inclusion of small business within the domestic EEC is not practicable at this point. Options continue to be considered, but in the immediate period support for energy efficiency improvement in this sector will continue via other programmes, notably those of the Carbon Trust, as outlined in "Energy Efficiency: The Government's Plan for Action", published in April 2004.
	The Government will introduce further measures to encourage and assist Small Medium Enterprises to take up energy saving opportunities. DEFRA has commissioned work to examine different policy options. This work will draw on the experience of the EEC mechanism in the household sector in informing our views of the best way forward.

Sakhalin II Project

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which rivers were crossed with  (a) gas and  (b) oil pipelines (i) during and (ii) outside the designated winter period as part of the Sakhalin II project.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The designated winter period for crossing rivers as part of the Sakhalin II project is 1 December to 30 April.
	Dates on which the rivers were crossed with oil and gas pipelines are available at the Sakhalin Energy website at:
	http://www.sakhalinenergy.com/en/project.asp?p=rc_list

Sakhalin II Project

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which rivers were crossed with  (a) gas and  (b) oil pipelines as part of the Sakhalin II project;
	(2)  which rivers were crossed with  (a) gas and  (b) oil pipelines on non-consecutive construction days as part of the Sakhalin II project;
	(3)  what the average time period is between the installation of gas or oil pipelines across each river as part of the Sakhalin II project.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 June 2006
	This information is available on the Sakhalin Energy website at:
	http://www.sakharinenergy.com/en/project.asp?p=rc_list

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: Between April 2004 and March 2005, there were 14 people over the age of 55 working fro the Wales Office. This represented a quarter of the staff at the time.
	A further member of staff over the age of 55 was recruited in 2005-06, representing 10 per cent. of the total staff recruited during that period.
	Information relating to 2003-04 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has responsibility for www.walesoffice.gov.uk and its parallel Welsh language site www.swyddfa.cymru.gov.uk.
	The cost of running both sites was £5,875 in 2005, with an additional £58.75 charged to renew the domain names

Private Members Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

Peter Hain: Members will consider a range of possible subjects before introducing their Private Members' Bills.
	Government draftsmen do draft some Bills in advance, which are available as one of the options for Members to consider before they make their selection.
	However, Members may make subsequent amendments or revisions to a Government drafted Bill, or use it as the basis for a Private Members' Bill in the future.
	The information requested is therefore not collected.

Departmental Re-branding

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the total costs at current prices of re-branding  (a) the Department of the Environment as the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions,  (b) the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions as the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and  (c) the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Angela Smith: The costs for re-branding:
	 (a) the Department of the Environment as the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was £176,690;
	 (b) the cost of re-branding the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions as the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions was £25,250;
	 (c) the cost of re-branding of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was £52,117.

Sickness Absence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: All Scotland Office staff are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs and those Departments maintain sick absence records. A complete picture, in the form requested, is however not available.

Digital Transmitters

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that the small slave transmitter on ordinance survey reference SX 802596, at the junction with the Ashprington turn-off at Totnes Hill, will be converted from analogue to digital transmission; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I understand that there is no record of a transmitter sited at OS reference SX802596, either for television transmission or telecommunications. However the Totnes television relay transmitter is situated at reference SX805594, which is very close to the above location.
	During switchover, which takes place in the Westcountry region in 2009, all transmitters (including the Totnes relay) will be converted for digital transmission. After switchover, UK digital terrestrial television coverage will match the current analogue coverage of 98.5 per cent.

Museums (Public Funding)

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what public funding is available from the Government for the improvement and modernisation of museums.

David Lammy: DCMS annual funding for museums in 2005-06 was £444,828,000. This was made up of two streams, £414,828,000 was provided to national museums and £30 million to the Renaissance in the Regions programme.
	In addition, the Department provides funding to the DCMS/Wolfson Fund for Museums and Galleries and the Designated Challenge Fund. Both have two year funding rounds and between 2004-06 the DCMS provided £2 million to DCMS/Wolfson Fund and £3,799,991 to the Designated Challenge Fund. The Subject Specialist Networks received £248,000 for 2004-05.
	Museum and Gallery statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance show local authority museums, through the Local Government Financial Settlement, had a net expenditure of £177,250,000 in 2005-06.
	However, the majority of this museum funding is not ring fenced for specific improvement work. Although DCMS is encouraging museums to improve their services across the board, it is for the museum itself to decide what funding is needed to sustain ongoing services and what can be spent on special improvement and modernisation.

New Opportunities Fund

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 30 January 2006,  Official Report, column 59W, on the New Opportunities Fund, if she will update the information on the number of  (a) awards and  (b) payments made from the New Opportunities Fund for physical education and sport since 2004-05.

Richard Caborn: The table shows awards and payments made by the New Opportunities Fund for physical education and sport since 2004-05. These figures do not include awards for all, activities for young people and other grants which have funded sport indirectly.
	
		
			   Awards made (£)  Payment made (£) 
			 2005-06 114,710,314 253,055,683 
			 Year to date 1,974,080 63,906,755

Defence Establishment Closures (Support)

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on financial support for  (a) economic development,  (b) training and  (c) environmental improvements in an area in which a defence establishment has been (i) closed and (ii) mothballed; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence keeps its estate under constant review to meet present and planned future requirements, with a view to disposing of surplus assets as quickly as possible. Pending a final decision and subsequent disposal action, any redundant sites will normally be closed and/or mothballed to reduce unnecessary expenditure. The need for financial support to assist the disposal of a site is considered on a case by case basis, usually to maintain the property to an appropriate standard to meet environmental and health and safety requirements, consistent with the most likely disposal strategy. Limited opportunities may also exist for temporary commercial or military training uses while in disposal.
	Other Departments provide direct financial support for economic development regionally or to communities. However, the closure of defence establishments can often provide new opportunities for civilian re-use and development. It is therefore the usual practice of the Ministry of Defence to work closely with the local authority and other stakeholders, amongst others English Partnerships, Regional Development Agencies, and in Scotland the Scottish Executive, the Enterprise bodies and the Welsh Assembly in Wales to consider the most appropriate future use.

RG31

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation his Department has made of the RG31 vehicle; and what assessment has been made of the possible advantages of this vehicle compared with the Snatch armoured Land Rover.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1528W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth). Compared to Snatch, the RG-31's size means it cannot access areas of the urban environment that Snatch is able to.

Search and Rescue Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 46WH, on MOD search and rescue services, whether the alternative military unit will be based at RMAS Culdrose; whether his statement that the squadron needs to remain at Culdrose referred to the  (a) 771,  (b) all squadrons presently based there and  (c) the future search and rescue squadron; and what his plans are for the 771 Squadron.

Adam Ingram: The statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 146WH, on MOD Search and Rescue Services referred only to the future of the roles currently carried out by 771 Squadron RNAS Culdrose and can be further clarified as follows. The Search and Rescue role will be part of the joint MOD and Maritime and Coastguard Agency future UK helicopter Search and Rescue Capability. The use of Culdrose itself as a future Search and Rescue base will be fully assessed taking into account all relevant factors. The best means for ensuring the continuation of the separate Maritime Counter Terrorism role will be fully assessed in due course and the future basing of this role will be part of that assessment.

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the percentage of people in Burma living in poverty.

Gareth Thomas: Reliable date about poverty in Burma is scarce, but Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia, comparable to Cambodia and Laos on available measures and is almost certainly not on track to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals. A household survey from 1997, found that 23 per cent. of people (11.2 million) had an income below subsistence level. The percentage of poor people earning less than $1 US a day is likely to be significantly higher than this. The same Government survey found that 70 per cent. of household expenditure was on food, an indicator of the vulnerability of poor people in Burma. There is widespread malnutrition, with one in three children aged 5 being moderately to severely malnourished. In 2001, 109 of every 1,000 children died before they reached the age of 5, double the East Asia and Pacific regional average. Maternal mortality is among the highest in the region. Only 40 per cent. of children complete five years of primary education.
	Social sector spending in Burma fell steadily during the 1990s and the authorities now spend less than $1 per person each year on basic health care and education combined. This is one of the lowest levels of public investment in the world. Public sector salaries are a long way below a living wage and teachers, doctors and other public servants are forced to either supplement their income through unofficial charges or undertake additional income earning activities. Most poor people rely on informal, private healthcare providers, often receiving poor quality or ineffective treatment as a result. Although education has traditionally been highly valued in Burma, its quality is being undermined by under-investment in the crumbling public education system. HIV/AIDS is a major public health risk in Burma. Burma is one of three countries in Asia with a generalised HIV/AIDS epidemic, 420,000 people are estimated to be infected with the virus and prevalence continues to rise. Prevalence in pregnant women exceeds 2 per cent. indicating that the epidemic has spread from high-risk groups into the general population.
	Many of the poorest and most vulnerable people live in the border areas and ethnic nationalities are among the poorest and most socially excluded people in Burma but there is considerable poverty throughout the country, in both rural and urban areas.

Disaster Risk Reduction

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department's budget was spent on disaster risk reduction in each region in each of the last three financial years; what percentage is planned to be spent in each region in the next three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Much of DFID's support for disaster risk reduction (DRR) is integrated into wider development programmes so we do not have specific data detailing the percentage of DFID's budget spent on DRR.
	In my speech on humanitarian reform in December 2004, I committed DFID to giving higher priority to DRR. DFID is providing significant bilateral assistance for DRR programmes in countries susceptible to disasters. For example, we are providing over £60 million to support disaster preparedness in Orissa, India, and we are supporting the Government of Bangladesh's Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme. We have committed to allocate 10 per cent. of the value of our humanitarian response to each major natural disaster to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters, where this can be done effectively. Under this policy, DFID has committed £7.5 million in the tsunami-affected region.
	DFID is also increasing funding to the international DRR system. We have provided £3 million to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and have recently agreed a £4 million programme with the World Bank on mainstreaming DRR into the Poverty Reduction Strategies of several disaster-prone countries. In 2005, we committed £15 million to support the community level DRR work of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and several international non-governmental organisations in Africa and Asia.

Aerospace

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to  (a) maintain and  (b) maximise the UK's capability within the aerospace sector.

Margaret Hodge: The Government are working in partnership with the aerospace industry on implementing the agenda set by the industry-led Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team report in 2003. This established a vision for the future success of the industry that by 2022, "The UK will offer a global Aerospace Industry the world's most innovative and productive location, leading to sustainable growth for all its stakeholders". The key areas of implementation work are technology, process excellence, skills, and environmental issues. This work is overseen by the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council, which I chair jointly with Mike Turner, CEO of BAE Systems.
	In regard to the defence air sector, the Government's Defence Industrial Strategy published in December 2005 provided clarity to industry on our military capability requirements, and set out a requirement to work with companies to ensure a sustainable long-term industrial base.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his staff are  (a) under and  (b) over 55 years of age.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Staff in the Department of Trade as of 1 January 2006:
	 (a) under 55 years: 3,107
	 (b) over 55 years: 569.

Funding (London)

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which organisations in each London  (a) borough and  (b) constituency are receiving funding from (i) his Department and (ii) the London Development Agency in 2006-07; and what total amount of funding is being made available in each case.

Margaret Hodge: Figures are not yet available about the organisations which will receive funding from the Department of Trade and Industry in 2006-07, broken down by London borough or constituency. According to the latest figures available, DTI spend £559 million in London in 2004-05, mainly on enterprise, economic development, and science and technology. Further details can be found in "Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2006" published by the Treasury in May 2006.
	The London Development Agency, a functional body of the Mayor of London which receives a block grant from DTI, is responsible for promoting economic development in London. The following table provides a breakdown of the LDA's expected expenditure by London borough in 2006-07. Data on the organisations receiving this funding is not available.
	
		
			  Borough  2006-07 Forecast (£ million) 
			 Barking and Dagenham 6.3 
			 Barnet 0.4 
			 Bexley 1.9 
			 Brent 15.9 
			 Bromley 0.2 
			 Camden 4.9 
			 City of London 1.1 
			 Croydon 0.9 
			 Ealing 2.7 
			 Enfield 1.2 
			 Greenwich 5.3 
			 Hackney 56.1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3.1 
			 Haringey 5.6 
			 Harrow 0.6 
			 Havering 4.2 
			 Hillingdon 1.1 
			 Hounslow 1.2 
			 Islington 1.8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0.4 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0.5 
			 Lambeth 2.9 
			 Lewisham 8.8 
			 Merton 0.5 
			 Newham 61.6 
			 Redbridge 0.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0.5 
			 Southwark 5.6 
			 Sutton 0.5 
			 Tower Hamlets 61.9 
			 Waltham Forest 48.3 
			 Wandsworth 2.1 
			 Westminster 1.9 
			 Total 310.5

Post Office Closures

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices were closed in  (a) Nottingham South and  (b) the East Midlands in 2005-06.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible.
	There have been no closures of Post Office branches in 2005-06 in Nottingham South. There has been a net reduction of 20 branches over the year 2005-06 in the region of the East Midlands.
	Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.

Renewable Energy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) solar hot water systems,  (b) solar photovoltaics and  (c) wind power systems were installed in the United Kingdom in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Full details of renewable energy generation for 2005 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2006 on 27 July 2006. A copy of which will be available from the Libraries of the House.
	We do not have definitive figures for solar water heating however in the "Microgeneration Strategy and Low Carbon Buildings Programme" consultation document, issued by the Department in June 2005, we estimated that the total number of existing installed domestic systems in the UK at over 70,000 with about 5,000 new domestic systems installed each year.
	The latest confirmed figures that we have from DUKES 2005 show installed capacity of 8.2 MW for solar photovoltaics and 933.2 MW for wind power, 123.8 MW offshore and 809.4 MW onshore.
	According to the British Wind Energy Association the current installed capacity for wind is 1,694.56 MW, 1,480.76 MW onshore and 213.80 MW offshore.

Supply Demand Balance

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has assessed the possibility of measuring supply demand balance in millions of cubic metres per day.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department generally assesses supply and demand in terms of the energy content of gas (GWh), as this is what is important for ensuring that supply and demand are balanced. However, an analysis of the projected supplies and demand in million cubic metres per day for winters up to 2024-25 can be found in the sixth report of the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS) (http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file28800.pdf?pubpdfdload=06%F331). For information concerning the forthcoming winter, an analysis of the supply demand balance in millions of cubic metres can be found in National Grid's Winter Outlook consultation document, available at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/15058_8406b.pdf
	In addition, daily assessments of supply and demand, displayed in millions of cubic metres per day, can be found on the National Grid website at:
	http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Gas/Data/DSR

Sustainability and Carbon Impact Accreditation Scheme

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will support a sustainability and carbon impact accreditation scheme for all biomass consumed in the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: This is a complex area, given the vast array of potential biomass sources and the different end uses. The right balance has to be struck in terms of supporting environmentally beneficial energy generation while avoiding over-regulation in what is still a relatively embryonic industry.
	The Government are interested in such accreditation schemes where they could be practical?currently we are looking at these as part of the co-firing review and the development of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation [RTFO]. The RTFO will place a mandatory reporting requirement on companies supplying biofuels from day one of the obligation to report in detail on the carbon savings of the biofuels supplied, as well as the impact on sustainability.

Benefits (Lewisham, Deptford)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough receive pension credit.

James Purnell: As at February 2006, the number of pension credit individual beneficiaries for  (a)Lewisham Deptford constituency was 3,900 and  (b) Lewisham borough local authority area was 11,940.
	 Notes:
	1. These figures are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the GMS scan at 17 February 2006. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure. Average amounts are displayed as at the scan reference data of 17 February 2006.
	2. Numbers of individual beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest ten.
	3. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	4. The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners and may include partners aged less than 60.
	 Source: DWP: 100 per cent data from the Generalised Matching Service (QMS). Pension credit scan taken as at 17 February 2006.

Compulsory Work-focused Interviews

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people starting on incapacity benefits in Liverpool and Wirral attended an initial work-focused interview since it became compulsory.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not available.
	The pathways to work regime only commenced on 24 April in the Liverpool and Wirral district. The first work-focussed interviews do not take place until at least week eight, namely the end of June 2006. Early work-focussed interviews data is only available three months after the first interviews. It will therefore be September/October before any data is available for the Liverpool and Wirral district.

Employment (Rotherham)

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department is taking to increase the number of people in work aged 50 years and over in Rotherham.

Jim Murphy: Like all other customers, people aged 50 and over can benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs and help and support to find work.
	Additional help is provided to older people who do not find work quickly. New deal 50-plus is a voluntary programme that provides people with advice and guidance from personal advisers, and access to in-work financial help through the 50-plus element of the working tax credit. Since April 2000, the programme has been successful in helping more than 150,000 older workers into employment, including 280 people in Rotherham. Once in work, new deal 50-plus customers can claim a training grant of up to £1,500 for training of which up to £300 can be used for life-long learning.
	People aged 50 and over, including those in Rotherham, are also eligible for help from new deal 25-plus. People who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 18 months and who have not previously participated on new deal 25-plus, are already required to attend the gateway stage of the new deal 25-plus programme. This is a period of up to four months of intensive job search and specialist help and support to improve job prospects. This is followed by the intensive activity period (IAP) which is currently voluntary for people aged 50 and over. The IAP provides further support and pre-work training to help people return to work.
	Since April 2004, we have been piloting mandatory participation in the new deal 25-plus IAP for people aged 50-59 who have been claiming JSA for 18 months. The pilot has offered people in this age group more extensive help back to work. Rotherham was not part of the pilot, however, interim pilot data has yielded positive results and, as announced in our Welfare Reform Green Paper, we will be commencing a phased national rollout.
	Between 1979 and the mid 1990s, the number of people on incapacity benefits trebled. Growth in the caseload has since slowed significantly, and in November 2005, there were 2.71 million people claiming incapacity benefits, a fall of 61,000 over the year. Although 46 per cent. of those claiming incapacity benefits are aged between 50 and state pension age, between 2000 and 2005 the number of people in the 50-plus age group fell by 52,000. This has contributed to the overall reduction in the incapacity benefits caseload.
	Like other age groups, people aged 50 and over will be able to benefit from the rollout of the successful pathways to work service across the whole country which will be completed by 2008. Pathways offers new IB customers early support from skilled personal advisers and direct access to a 'Choices Package' of employment programmes and clear financial incentives to make work pay. Any IB customer will be able to access the support and help available on a voluntary basis. Pathways has already begun helping people in the Rotherham area, having rolled out there in April.
	Our age positive campaign works with employers and others to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and best practice on age in recruitment, training and promotion. In May 2005 we launched the 'Be Ready' national information campaign to raise employer awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities to support the recruitment and retention of older workers in advance of age legislation due in October 2006.

Human Resource Functions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the development of human resource functions within Departmental activities.

Anne McGuire: When the new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was formed in 2002, the Human Resources (HR) function inherited different sets of legacy HR policies and terms and conditions; paper driven systems, HR Service Centres dominated by low value added data input; Business HR teams pre occupied with detailed transactional based advice and Corporate HR focussed on developing and maintaining detailed and over prescriptive HR guidance.
	Working with colleagues from the DWP Businesses, the HR Senior Management Team designed a new HR Operating Model based on best practice in both the private and public sectors. The HR function now has in place a set of HR job roles common across the Department, delivering a uniform HR service.
	This new HR Operating Model places the emphasis on self service for employees and line managers, with on-line access to HR processes through the new Resource Management IT system which will be fully implemented in 2007. This is supported by a telephone based advice and guidance service provided by integrated HR and Finance shared service centres, and accessed through a single telephone number.
	The new Operating Model for HR in DWP has already allowed for a reduction in HR staff numbers from 5,500 to 3,000, and by March 2008 that number will be reduced by a further 500. This has freed up resources for front line work with our clients.
	Business HR teams focus on working strategically with operational managers on the HR issues affecting business performance. Corporate HR has been restructured to form four new Centres of Expertise which have improved and simplified the Department's HR policies, making them easier for line managers to interpret and use.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff in her Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Vera Baird: The number of sickness absence days is recorded by the Department, however while it is possible to extract information on absence spells from the data collection system currently in place, to do so would be a lengthy process, the cost of which would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
	The Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and has actively adopted the recommendations of the recently published "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector". A number of initiatives, including a new managing attendance policy and supporting systems, have been implemented over the last six months. These include awareness sessions and training for individuals and managers, stress and managing attendance toolkits, and targeted support from HR and welfare teams.

DNA Bioscience

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues to laboratories which wish to become accredited to provide court-admissible DNA tests;
	(2)  what measures are in place to ensure that laboratories not accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA tests do not submit DNA tests in court hearings;
	(3)  how many laboratories with accreditation to undertake court-admissible DNA testing have closed down in the last five years;
	(4)  how many laboratories have had their applications for licences to undertake court-admissible DNA tests turned down in each of the last four years for which figures are available; and what reasons were given for turning down their applications in each case;
	(5)  whether laboratories accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA testing are permitted to contract DNA tests out to other  (a) accredited companies and  (b) other unaccredited companies;
	(6)  what consultations were undertaken in the drawing up of the criteria applicable to laboratories applying for a licence to conduct DNA tests for paternity cases;
	(7)  what criteria her Department applies to laboratories applying for a licence to conduct court-admissible DNA tests; and when the criteria were most recently updated;
	(8)  how many laboratories licensed to undertake court-admissible DNA testing are operating in the UK; and how many laboratories have applications pending to undertake such testing;
	(9)  if she will list the laboratories licensed to conduct court-admissible DNA tests; and which  (a) hold and  (b) do not hold an International Standards Organisation 17025 Certificate;
	(10)  how many visits representatives of the Department made to the laboratories of DNA Diagnostics in Ohio, USA; and how many visits have been made by agencies based in the US on the Department's behalf;
	(11)  if she will list the companies accredited by the Department for conducting court-admissible DNA tests which have laboratories outside the UK;
	(12)  whether the Department has received representations concerning DNA Bioscience from the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) during 2005;
	(13)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the application for accreditation to conduct court-admissible DNA tests submitted by DNA Bioscience;
	(14)  what systems are in place to monitor the financial accounts of companies that have been accredited to conduct court-admissible DNA tests;
	(15)  what action will be taken by the Department against companies that supply incorrect information during the accreditation process for conducting court-admissible DNA tests.

Bridget Prentice: My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in the hon. Member's questions, and I will write when I am in a position to do so.

DNA Bioscience

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that laboratories licensed to perform court admissible DNA tests conform to the standards required by the ISO 17025 Certificate.

Bridget Prentice: My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in the hon. Member's questions, and I will write when I am in a position to do so.

Healthcare Commission

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions representatives of the Healthcare Commission have  (a) examined and  (b) taken copies of patients' private and confidential notes held by (i) private clinics and (ii) general practitioners offering a private health service in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: I understand from the Chairman of the Healthcare Commission that the information is not available in the form requested. I also understand from the chairman that since March 2006 the Commission has been recording the details of occasions when confidential personal information has been obtained from independent healthcare providers without the data subject's consent: however, the data is not broken down by type of establishment.

Hepatitis C

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to reassess its Hepatitis C action plan following the report of the all-party parliamentary hepatology group; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The results of the all-party parliamentary hepatology group report indicates that progress is being made in implementing the Hepatitis C action plan for England. Around two thirds of the primary care trusts who responded are taking steps to implement the action plan and the majority of national health service hospital trusts did not report significant delays for patients awaiting treatment.
	However, the results of the surveys may serve as a useful focus for discussion by local NHS organisations. They are responsible for implementation of the action plan at the local level and are best placed to assess what is needed in their areas, taking account of other priorities.

NHS Trust Savings

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) efficiency savings and  (b) savings resulting from technical adjustments were required by each NHS Trust in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; what these figures represent as a percentage of each budget; and what such savings will be required in 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: The annual uplift to the national tariff includes an offset for efficiency savings realisable from front line national health service services. An uplift is applied every year to incentivise a continuous improvement approach to efficiency. The respective efficiency savings equate to one per cent., in 2004-05, 1.7 per cent., in 2005-06 and 2.5 per cent., for 2006-07. The efficiency offset is applicable to all national health service trusts.
	There is no recognised classification of savings resulting from technical adjustments and it is therefore not possible to provide any information on this request.

Palliative Care for the Terminally Ill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to support the Palliative Care for the Terminally Ill Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Government are still considering the Bill, and will make its position known in due course.

Asylum/Immigration

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been granted indefinite leave to remain in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: Statistics on persons granted settlement in the United Kingdom since 1994 was published in Table 5.3 of the annual Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2004". Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	The 2005 edition is due to be published on 22 August 2006.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority expects to publish an annual report for 2003-04.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The annual report and accounts of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was laid before Parliament on 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 71WS, and will be published by 30 June 2006.

Departmental Contractors

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any contractors have been dismissed from contracts with his Department because of illegal working practices since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: A 100 percent manual search through all contract records would incur disproportionate cost.

Operation Reproof

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what lessons have been learned by his Department from Operation Reproof in Devon and Cornwall; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The investigation into Operation Reproof was undertaken under the supervision of the former Police Complaints Authority and the recommendations were passed to the chief officer for consideration. The chief officer is responsible for the day to day management of the force and use of its resources. I will ensure that the chief constable receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly. Copies of the letter containing the response from Devon and Cornwall police will be placed in the House Libraries.

Police

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the potential change in the number of civilian posts resulting from  (a) a Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire combined police force,  (b) a Hampshire and Thames Valley combined police force and  (c) a Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey combined police force;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential start-up costs of  (a) a Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire combined police force,  (b) a Hampshire and Thames Valley combined police force,  (c) a Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey combined police force and  (d) one stand-alone Hampshire force;
	(3)  what representations he has received from the Hampshire police force on the proposed merger of police forces in the area;
	(4)  whether additional funding will be available from his Department to the Hampshire constabulary in the event of its merger with other forces;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely change in the Hampshire police precept to the council tax which would arise from a merger of the Hampshire constabulary;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact of a merger of the Hampshire constabulary with other forces on  (a) police officer and  (b) civilian staff numbers;
	(7)  how many representations he has received to date supporting the abolition of the Hampshire police constabulary as a stand-alone force.

Tony McNulty: The proposed merger of police forces into new strategic forces is intended to strengthen forces' ability to protect the public better from serious crimes and terrorism and to embed neighbourhood policing. For any merger, decisions about future posts will be for the new strategic forces' management teams to determine No proposal for a Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire combined police force, or a Hampshire and Thames Valley police force was submitted by forces and authorities in December 2005 and therefore no estimate has been made of any change in civilian posts under either of these options.
	The estimate of the potential change in the number of civilian posts resulting from a Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex merger, based on assumptions submitted by Surrey, was a reduction of some 250 police staff posts under this merger, achieved through economies of scale and process re-engineering. The exact number of redundancies would be dependant on a variety of factors including natural wastage, effective use of workforce planning and utilising alternative employment.

Police Complaints

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what criteria are used by police professional standards departments when conducting complaints into police conduct and behaviour; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what criteria are used by the Independent Police Complaints Commission when conducting complaints into police conduct and behaviour; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the Chairman receives a copy of the questions and replies to you directly. Copies of the letters containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the House Library.

Specialist Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1764W, on specialist schools, how many specialist schools are in areas within the worst 20 per cent. of wards in England according to the index of deprivation; and what specialism has been chosen by each such school.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Sure Start

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many available places there are in Sure Start schemes in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough;
	(2)  what percentage of children are on Sure Start schemes in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) were set up between 1999 and 2003 offering a range of services to children under four years of age and their families living in defined areas. All SSLPs are becoming Sure Start Children's Centres and will offer services to children under five years of age and their families. Information about the percentage of children reached by SSLP services is now collected once a year. Data on how many children have accessed services through children's centres are not available yet.
	2,325 children under four live in areas covered by three SSLPs in the Lewisham Deptford constituency. In all 3,427 children under four live in areas covered by five SSLPs in the borough of Lewisham. The latest information available (at March 2005) shows on average 37 per cent.(1) of children in the Lewisham, Deptford SSLPs and on average 36 per cent.(1) of children overall in SSLP areas in the borough of Lewisham had significant contact (that is, a home visit or attendance at a centre-based activity) with Sure Start.
	There is one Sure Start Children's Centre up and running in the constituency of Lewisham Deptford, building on an existing SSLP and offering services to 1,545 children under five and their families, and three overall in the borough of Lewisham offering services to 4,650(2) children under five and their families.
	(1) Source—Sure Start Local Programme data returns March 2005.
	(2 )4,650 children includes 1,483 children previously served by the two SSLPs across Lewisham that have become children's centres.

Disability Leaflet

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many copies of the leaflet 'Has disability altered your home?' have been produced by the Rates Collection Agency in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Rate Collection Agency has produced 10,000 of these leaflets since 2003.

Victims

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times in each of the last five years he has met  (a) each victims group,  (b) individual families of victims and  (c) victims of major shooting and bombing incidents which led to large numbers of deaths; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The information you seek is not held in the format in which it was requested and to attempt to gather such information could be done only at a disproportionate cost. I would however advise the hon. Member that since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in May 2005 I have had several meetings with victims groups and their families. Indeed the hon. Member was present at a recent meeting I had with the one such group.

Colombia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether British officials monitored the recent elections in Colombia.

Geoff Hoon: Our embassy in Bogota consulted with a wide range of civil society and other groups, including EU partners, in observing the lead up to and the conduct of the Colombian presidential elections on 28 May. British officials were not involved in direct election monitoring, nor was there an official EU observation mission. The Organisation of American States followed the election process closely, as did the Centre for Electoral Advice and Promotion (CAPEL), a branch of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. The assessment of CAPEL was that the elections had been conducted in a fair manner. We fully support the EU declaration issued on 31 May 2006, which welcomed the holding of free elections and committed the EU to continue it's full support for the democratic, economic and social development and the return to peace in Colombia. The full text of the 31 May EU declaration can be found on the following website: http://www.diplomacymonitor.com/stu/dm.nsf/dn/dn6F81A8FDE57805BB85257180003EAA52.